Abstract:
Geotechnical stability is one of the major concerns regarding legacy tailings facilities. Typical tailings stabilization may include slope regrading and/ or buttressing and integration with an erosion resistant cover and landform to increase the resiliency of the capital investment, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and protect the underlying slope from gullying. Previous work integrated field erosion measurements of potential covers and modeled landforms using WEPP, SIBERIA, CAESAR-Lisflood, and Rillgen2D. Landform-cover alternatives were compared using an MCDA, which led to a preferred closure alternative. The focus of the recent study was to optimize the preferred alternative and confirm a final design for construction. This paper describes the implementation of an erosion resistant landform design, the practical use of WEPP as a 2D landform screening tool and its limitations, the implementation of a new modeling code (Rillgen2D) to assess 3D geometry for erosion risk over time, and the unification of observations and modeling to arrive at a final design.
Session: Environmental: Mine closure and reclamation
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